


Unexpected Bonds

by caz251



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bonding, Gen, Severus Snape Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 05:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6457426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caz251/pseuds/caz251
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus expected to die, he hadn't expected this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected Bonds

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt half-life at gen prompt bingo.

His death was sudden, even if not unexpected; everyone and everything died after all. Severus Snape hadn’t expected to live through the first wizarding war, making it almost to the end of the second war was an accomplishment in a way. He had expected to be killed by either the Death Eaters or Voldemort after being revealed as a spy, or by the Order or Potter for killing Albus.

What he hadn’t expected was to wake up after he had died, not physically at least. He was prepared for at least a small part of his consciousness to wake in the portrait that had been painted to adorn the walls of the Headmasters office upon his demise, but he had never expected to be sat up in a bed in the hospital wing.

Even more surprising was the fact that Harry Potter was sat at the side of his bed clutching at his hand. Severus stared at him in confusion for a moment before pulling his hand away from the younger man. It surprised him how weak he felt all of a sudden, but just assumed that he hadn’t really taken stock of his own condition the moment previously, it was nothing to do with holding Potter’s hand.

Potter had obviously won, otherwise he wouldn’t be free to sit at his bedside, so Severus wondered why Potter was there and not celebrating, and why for that matter he was not already on his way to Azkaban, ill health or not. Having been alerted by her monitoring charms that he was awake Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the ward. Her wand in hand already, she started casting different diagnostic charms as soon as she was in range of him. She tutted as she stared at the parchment that appeared in her hand, before scrutinising him carefully then taking his hand and placing it back in Potter’s who had awoken when she entered the room. She started the spells again and smiled a bit more at the second parchment that appeared, before muttering to herself and rushing out of the room.

She returned carrying a rather thick book that she began leafing through until she let out a small sound of triumph before passing the book first to Potter who read through it than gave it to him. Severus was sure that he got paler with each word he had read, he was bound to Potter, his life was tied to his, when Potter died Severus would as well. That wasn’t to say Severus couldn’t die before then, but he definitely wouldn’t survive Potter.

He turned the full weight of his glare on the man still clutching his hand, giving him strength, this was his entire fault. Severus had accepted that he would die, he had made peace with that, he was prepared for death. What he hadn’t been prepared for was this cursed existence, bound to Potter in some parody of life, this wasn’t life, it was a half life in which Potter held all the strength and power. 

Severus wondered for the first time in a long time how easy it would be just to end it all, he had served his purpose, he had repaid the debts he owed, all he wanted was peace. He thought longing of his potions lab that contained numerous different poisons, he wouldn’t be leaving the hospital wing for a long time and then he would no doubt be headed straight for Azkaban unless they were going to use this bonding to stop him from being incarcerated. Severus slumped back into the bed realising that he was well and truly stuck.


End file.
